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Chief executives of major social media companies appeared before Congress on Wednesday to answer questions about online child exploitation.
At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis,” the leaders of Meta, TikTok, Snap, Discord, and X spoke about the negative effects of social media use on America’s youth. did.
Nearly 95% of teens ages 13 to 17 report using social media, according to recommendations from the U.S. Surgeon General released last year. While the report found that social media offers some benefits among young people, it also found that social media “can pose significant harm to children’s mental health and wellbeing.” It also provides sufficient indicators to show that technology companies should be held accountable.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other tech leaders claim they are actually pursuing safeguards to isolate children and teens on the platform However, there were some child advocates and parents in the crowd who strongly opposed it.
Parents Together, a nonprofit organization that provides independent reporting and commentary on issues impacting children and families, told USA TODAY at Wednesday’s hearing that “everyone from parents to Congress is trying to convince these tech companies It has become clear that we should not accept the lies that are being sold.”
“What almost every parent knows is that social media is harming children and, in the most tragic cases, killing them,” Shelby Knox, campaign director for Parents Together, said Wednesday. stated.
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Families who have lost a child, please speak up.
Among those attending Wednesday’s hearing were five families who say their children were victims of predators facilitated by social media.
Olivia Prodromidis, 15 years old
“My daughter Olivia will forever be 15 because Snapchat has connected her to a strange adult who exploits and uses her,” wrote Olivia’s mother, Despina Prodromidis. Must be pure fentanyl. Snapchat continues to link children to adult criminals and drugs. They couldn’t stop this themselves. It’s time for Congress to act. ”
Matthew Miner, 12 years old
“TikTok showed my 12-year-old son, Matthew, a ‘choking challenge’ video that falsely claims that children can safely strangle themselves,” said Matthew’s father, Todd Miner. writing. Thanks to TikTok and other platforms, this deadly viral video of him circulated for over a decade, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people like Matthew. Congress must hold these companies accountable for the lives they end and destroy. ”
Riley Roddy, 15 years old
Riley’s mother, Mary Roddy, said: “When my son Riley was 15 years old, criminals used Facebook to find him, coerce him into viewing inappropriate images, and asking him to send explicit photos of himself.” “I deceived him. My son immediately began extorting money from Riley,” she wrote. His ease of use and proactiveness with his Facebook tools was overwhelming. Riley died by suicide just six hours after receiving the threat on Facebook. Meta has shown us that we can’t fix our platform on our own. Now is the time to make it. ”
Mariam Radwan, 15 years old
“The algorithms that power Instagram and TikTok almost killed my daughter Mariam. Because she was interested in healthy eating, social media encouraged her to eat less than 500 calories a day and to “We were drawn into a black hole of dangerous content such as challenges to prove how thin we are,” Mariam’s mother, Neveen Radwan, wrote.
“She was in and out of the hospital all four years of high school, and a social media-induced eating disorder caused her to go into cardiac arrest and end up in a wheelchair. TikTok and Instagram have paid millions of dollars due to her pain. I have no children and my family has to sacrifice years of their lives for the company to make a profit.”
Jazmin Hernandez, 13 years old
“Jazmin was the victim of vicious and racist cyberbullying on Instagram,” wrote Jazmin’s mother, LaQuanta Hernandez. I reported the content to Instagram several times, but they refused to remove it for several days. It was scary. I was so angry that Instagram wouldn’t take down the death threat against the girl. They make it very easy for anyone to harass, bully, and abuse children on the platform. they have to take responsibility. ”
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Zuckerberg apologizes to family
During questioning of Mr. Zuckerberg during Wednesday’s hearing, Sen. Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, asked the Meta CEO, “Have you apologized to the victims? Do you want to apologize now? … Do they… Here you are. You’re on national television. Have you apologized to the victims?’
Zuckerberg rose from his chair and turned to face the crowd in attendance. “I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through,” he said.
“No one should have to go through what your family has gone through, which is why we are investing so much and working to ensure that no one goes through what you have.” We’re going to continue our efforts to lead.”Families have had to suffer,” Zuckerberg said, then returned to his seat.
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told Zuckerberg at the hearing: “To you and to the companies that came before us, I know that’s not what you mean, but you… My blood boils,” he said.
Mike Snider contributed to this report.
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